Sunday, August 26, 2012

Hot wordle 71

The empty road in front
the empty road behind
just a trail of dust
where we drove past
and heat
so hot it's heavy.
A flock of sheep,
felted and breathing as one,
huddle
around the rose-coloured trunks
of the cork oaks'
blessed shade.
We move slowly
as the sun moves slowly
to the west
and wait for the air to cool.
Only the essentials;
drinking litres of water
lifting a pencil,
tracing patterns in the dust -
this is the recipe
for survival.
A kind of dormancy.
Just thinking about work
creates a sweat,
a dread almost.
The house to build,
the fence to mend,
the brambles to cut.
But one cannot operate
in this heat,
so we wait
like the sheep
in the shade
our thoughts like a chain
linking Spring to Autumn
with a cool beer in the hand,
forgiven.

13 comments:

  1. Oh, it sounds way too hot to do anything. You really painted a picture of a dry, hot heat where it's really too hot and dusty to move to do anything but yes, sit and drink a cool beer.
    Lovely imagery.

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  2. Oh, you see I loved this part:

    "A flock of sheep,
    felted and breathing as one,"

    Such a great description...then I was thrilled to see you come back to it with the variation.

    Great wordle!!

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  3. Veronica, Oh darn...Hannah beat me to it. My favorite part is the sheep-such a lush image. I've worked more than one lambing season in Montana, but it's been several years. Thanks for the herd moving through my Sunday morning. This is a strong write, and I'm glad you are with us at The Whirl.
    Brenda

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  4. This reminds me of cleaning up after a hurricane, which we do a lot here in southeast TX (you can tell what's on my mind).

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  5. This was a hot one, I was also seeking shade. Thanks.

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  6. Talk about atmospheric, this is a wonderful piece of writing, vivid imagery that has the reader sighing with relief at the thought of a cold beer and just sitting in the shade.

    Elizabeth
    http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/loosely-knit/

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  7. This is lovely. I can feel the heat, I can see the tree trunks and I can almost taste that beer.

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  8. I could send you some of our chilly weather! I love this poem, was warmed by it, remembering what a heatwave feels like, so well have you brought the atmosphere to life. Your concluding lines are just beautiful.

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  9. i got involved and found the atmosphere wonderful

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  10. I like the way you write and the subjects you choose. This is lovely; I feel the sticky heat and the pleasure of the "cool beer in the hand." And laughed out loud at the "forgiven" at the end. Ah, don't we all feel like that about yard work in the heat. Perfect.

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  11. Thank you, Friendly People, for your kind comments. I'm humbled and happy that you visited my space.

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  12. Nicely done Veronica! I'm in England at the moment and really wish we had some of that heat. And, by the time I get back to Vancouver, it's going to be fall. :)

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  13. You know how to beat the heat....sit in the shade with a cold beer! I am not fond of hot weather, so I often ruminate on how people function in extreme heat and drought....

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